Dealing with ADHD

If you’ve been noticing peculiar behavioral patterns in your child, he may be exhibiting typical ADHD behavior. ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition in children which compels them to act differently than most kids their age. You may also be more familiar with ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder. This term was later changed to ADHD to create a more accurate description of this condition.

ADHD is caused by the lack of neurotransmitters that are essential to controlling behavior and organizing or managing thought. Studies have also shown ADHD development linked to smoking and taking addictive substances during pregnancy.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD HAS ADHD

1. He speaks louder than everyone else does. Often, you will notice children with ADHD to be a little loud, calling attention to himself.
2. He suddenly interrupts a conversation or an activity from out of nowhere. This includes going up to strangers to talk to them in a familiar way as if he knows them personally.
3. He is restless. He can’t stay put in one place for a short period of time. He is always walking or running around.
4. He cannot concentrate. His mind is always wandering off and he doe not seem to absorb whatever is being said to him.
5. He has trouble following instructions.
6. He has trouble finishing anything, i.e. schoolwork or any other activity
7. He forgets easily, i.e. something that was told to him only a couple of minutes past.
8. He plays too loudly. As in talking loudly, he cannot play without making any noise. Often, he would talk to himself loudly while playing.
9. He is always disorganized and cluttered.
10. He loses things easily.

If your child displays a number of these symptoms, it is best if you have him evaluated by your doctor. It will also help to talk to the people around him who see his day-to-day activity such as his teachers, babysitter, friends, his friends’ parents, and such.

Often, a child will behave in front of his doctor so you might have to bring him to a child psychologist for further evaluation. This will allow you to get an accurate prognosis and allow you to follow through properly instead of going the whole gamut of rounds of doctors.

DEALING WITH YOUR CHILD’S ADHD

You may think in the beginning that your child was only misbehaving and acting so rudely because he lacked discipline. But now that you’ve discovered that he has ADHD, you can get advices from your doctors and his psychologists on how to control his behavior.

There are medications available such as methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine. Ask your doctor about it first and see what will work best for your child. There are also organizations that can help you help your child cope with ADHD. You can likewise create a system where his hyperactive behavioral pattern will be modified. Since children with ADHD also go to a regular school, work with his teachers to help him have a better performance in school.

Lastly, your utmost patience is needed to be able to properly care for your child with ADHD.